You know the saying “People tend to only remember the bad things in life but forget the good”? Well after watching a bunch of movies in my seminar class about NYC, in which NY was portrayed in a positive and negative light, the only movie that I can still vividly recall is “Wall Street”, directed by Oliver Stone. This movie truly left its mark on my perception of NYC, for now this metropolis carries a negative connotation, and embodies a society filled with corruption, greed, and people who will do just about anything to rise in social status.

I always thought of my city as the epitome of the American Dream, full of jobs and equal opportunities for everyone. However, Stone blatantly showed that when it comes to New York, such lofty expectations are far from accurate. Through the character of Bud Fox (an ambitious junior stockbroker), I learned that it is possible to achieve the American Dream, but it comes at a price. One must be willing to “bend the rules,” betray peoples’ trusts, sacrifice one’s own moral integrity, and ultimately, become a corrupt individual. Bud Fox was sick and tired of being part of the middle class; he idolized his hero, Gordon Gekko, a notorious Wall Street player and aspired to rise in the social ladder and become rich like him. But despite the fact that Gekko was loaded with money (literally), he was still greedy for more. He took advantage of desperate Bud, who was willing to do anything to get rich, and convinced him to do inside trading for him. In return, Bud got a taste of the “good life.” Soon, however, Bud came to the realization that Gekko wasn’t a friend, but rather a greedy, selfish bastard! But Bud was late; he had already lost the girl he liked, betrayed his father, and was going to prison. This movie just proved to me that NYC is actually dominated by the money-hungry, corrupt elite and that it takes getting one’s hands “dirty” to be able to make it BIG in this city.

Similarly, the movie “Taxi Driver”, directed by Martin Scorsese offers a dark view of NY through the story of former US Marine, Travis Bickle. Travis had insomnia and as a result, became a nighttime taxi driver. Travis described the defiled city of NY as one full of slums, filthy criminals, and prostitutes. The setting of the film (Times Square before Disneyfication) conveyed that people in the city, especially from the lower class, will go to just about any lengths to survive. People will rob others, kills others, and resort to prostitution just to make a quick buck.

So in short, I learned one thing from both these movies: it’s all about survival of the fittest when it comes to New York City…and that’s the cold truth! Here, becoming a success doesn’t come easy; we have to work hard to succeed, some more than others. And to make it, and I mean really make it to the top, we may perhaps have to compromise our morals and break some rules along the way.